In spite of the personal and national challenges we face today, I believe all of us can be thankful to be Americans. We are the descendants of the patriots who declared that "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Those words inspire us still and bring hope to millions around the world. With all of America's problems, we are still the nation that represents man's last best hope on earth.
As President Reagan so often encouraged us to do, I pray that each of us in the weeks ahead will work harder to make America an even better place – a "shining city upon a hill.""
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"Although there are examples of single celebrations of Thanksgiving in the New World dating as far back as 1541 in Texas, the first call for an annual Thanksgiving was at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, in 1619, when Captain John Woodlief and 38 settlers aboard the ship Margaret, proclaimed, "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrivall at the place assigned for plantacion in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."
Today we have much to celebrate. We are blessed to live in a truly exceptional nation - envied by the world. Our basic freedoms are under constant attack both domestically and from foreign interests yet we endure by honoring Thomas Jefferson's admonition: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
As we give thanks for those freedoms and more endowed upon us by our Creator, let us not forget the eternal vigilance of our brave men and women in uniform. While we stay warm in comfortable surroundings enjoying a traditional holiday feast, we must remember and give thanks to those who will spend Thanksgiving sleeping in a cold, wet foxhole grateful for potable water to make their dehydrated field rations edible.
The coming years will demand constant effort on our part to preserve the freedoms and liberties established by our founding fathers. Let us prepare for that effort as we give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy and celebrate today."
Patrick Murray
On Thanksgiving . On the fourth Thursday of every November We reflect, rejoice and we all must remember It is to give thanks this day that we all gather With family, friends and others that matter. . We give thanks for our blessings and bountiful dinners And pray for the Lord to forgive all that were sinners Of those who no longer the journey can make, we will always remember, The memories of them will burn in our minds like a glowing ember. . We celebrate the Pilgrims who survived those first harsh winters Standing strong and grateful their hopes were not dashed to splinters Give tribute to Squanto and the other caring Indians who, Befriended the Pilgrims and helped them get through. . And to whom do we give thanks on this celebration day? Certainly the patriots and leaders who a great part did play In recognizing and defending all our God given rights But, it is mostly to He on high whom shined the guiding light! . From Plymouth to Valley Forge and others where hard times were fought Our Founders always reached out to thank God without second thought Over the intervening years one fact has always remained clear Our predecessors abiding faith in the Lord was always held dear! . Since the beginning there has always been the presence of God’s guiding hand From the Declaration, to the Constitution, to the Great Seal of the Land. “In God We Trust” is the motto of our great nation To decry or dispute this would be beneath anyone’s station. . From ocean to ocean, from the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande We celebrate the greatness and bounty of this our God given land On our monuments and on our buildings our God we have praised Yet among us are a few who would have all vestiges of God raised. . Now bow thy head please, for a moment and offer a prayer That the Supreme Court of our Nation, the highest judicial layer Might open their eyes and look around at all the abounding evidence And realize that their separation of God and State is misguided jurisprudence! . Lest we forget or take for granted our most precious blessings and lose sight Of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” our God given unalienable rights Be thankful to be able at will to move about, for free speech and the right to assemble,, For speedy public trial, fair bail and no unjust search and seizures, to make you tremble! . Be thankful this and each day for your blessings that do abound Remember to be ever grateful, that your ship doth not run aground Cherish your families and other loved ones who support you in all ways Remain true to your heart and thank God for all, till the end of your days. . Tom Whitmore . “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free”. . Ronald Reagan
40th president of US (1911 - 2004)
Learn more about the history of Thanksgiving as an American holiday. Take a moment now and visit the official Thanksgiving timeline at the Library of Congress by clicking here:
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